HI General Contractor cheat sheet

Hawaii Contractor Licensing and Board Requirements

• The Hawaii Contractors License Board (CLB) sits within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) and is administered by the Professional and Vocational Licensing (PVL) Division; the Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO) investigates and prosecutes licensing violations.

• License classifications: General Engineering Contractor (A), General Building Contractor (B), and Specialty Contractor (C). An A license covers fixed works such as roads, bridges, and utilities; a B license covers structures and may take work involving more than two unrelated trades; a C license is limited to the specific specialty trade named on the license.

• The B (general building) license authorizes work on structures and their appurtenances, and a B licensee may subcontract specialty work; a C licensee may not exceed the scope of the named specialty trade, and a specialty contractor may not take a whole-structure project requiring multiple unrelated trades.

• Experience requirement for the general contractor (B) license: at least four years of full-time experience within the last ten years in the classification applied for, with at least one year of supervisory or journeyman-level experience; experience must be documented and verifiable by the Board.

• Examination: applicants must pass the Hawaii contractor licensing exam, which includes a business and law (statutes and rules) component and a trade component; a passing score is valid for a limited period, and applicants who fail must wait before re-examination under Board rules.

• Bonding: applicants must post a contractor surety bond with the Board before licensure; the bond amount is set by statute and increases for licensees with a history of disciplinary action or unpaid judgments, and the bond must be maintained continuously while licensed.

• Continuing education: general and specialty contractor licensees must complete continuing education hours each licensing renewal cycle as prescribed by the Board, covering topics such as business practices, Hawaii statutes and rules, and trade-related subjects.

• License renewal is biennial (every two years) on the licensee's assigned renewal date; failure to renew results in forfeiture, and practicing with an expired, suspended, or unlicensed status is a violation subject to civil penalties and possible criminal sanctions.

• Unlicensed contracting and aiding unlicensed contracting are prohibited; the Board may impose fines, restitution, license suspension or revocation, and may require a bond increase after disciplinary action. Advertising or bidding work requiring a license without holding one is itself a violation.